Just inside the Altuzarra showroom in Paris, a beautiful and petite woman asked if she might take by bag and coat, and then introduced herself as Karen Altuzarra. Joseph Altuzarra and his mum started the line that bears the family name together and while her supportive role changes from season to season, she did happen to mention that she's pretty much always charged with giving the pieces their descriptive names.

I would imagine that Karen considers being a mother a dream job, but bestowing each collection's silhouette with a signature? Now that's good work if you can get it.

While Mrs. Altuzarra lives between London and Paris; the designer and the brand are based in Manhattan, so during New York Fashion Week we took a look at the Altuzarra runway. But it's always a treat to see the pieces up close and personal in the showroom setting-particularly when a very familiar guide is on hand.

As we reported in New York, the Altuzarra spring collection is very much inspired by nature, and organic matter. In particular, ceramics are an important influence this season. The above dress, set to hit Nordstrom stores and online in February, was created by making a digital print of a complex dye process, but it was originally inspired by the way fired clay yields vivid ripples and waves of color. Mrs. Altuzarra named it Glaze, for the enamel-like substance that fuses with ceramic objects under intense heat.

Other pieces in the collection were informed by Japanese martial arts, and, most importantly, the Altuzarra family's Basque heritage.

"This is a fascinating culture," Mrs. Altuzarra told me. "Joseph is quite excited by it; it's very traditional and has its own sports, its own language, its own food-it's very distinctive."

The designer used bright and subdued whites and various pleating techniques throughout the collection to reflect the traditional costume and dress of the Basque region people. Where that clean hue is paired with tactile trim and earth tones is where the rest of the natural world ties back in, and where the rough-hewn, handmade feeling of ceramics returns.

So much of Altuzarra's popularity is due to his intelligent cuts, and the way they flatter women in such soft, easy ways. As Mrs. Altuzarra pointed out, this collection in particular is full of light pieces that can be easily layered early in the season and then worn alone as the summer heat turns up.

As we discussed this interesting trio of influences, the Altuzarra team explained how very intellectual Joseph can be about the direction and depth of each of his work-his mom used the term "heady." But these are pieces that are not at all challenging to wear. One of the marks of real intelligence and great design is making it all look easy.

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-Laura Cassidy